There is current interest in mineral exploration on the ocean floor. It is believed that deposits of valuable minerals, such as nodules rich in manganese and other minerals, are located on the ocean floor at depths of 15,000 feet or greater.
The tremendous hydrostatic pressures at such depths make human activity there impractical. Mineral harvesting requires automated systems.
For efficient operation, it is desirable that automated equipment operate continuously to harvest materials from the sea floor. However, continuous operation requires a continuous supply of power to the harvester mechanism, as well as some means to retrieve the harvested materials back to the ocean surface.
Current vacuum suction ducts are either too rigid or flexible for use in deep water mining. If the duct is too flexible, it is difficult to deploy to the proper location; on the other hand, a rigid duct is subject to failure from cyclic axial and transverse loading which is to be expected on ducts useful in deep water mining.